March Recap

I know, I'm really late. Life has been busy. You know the deal.

On the running front, soooo much going on in March. Let's start with the big picture numbers:

Total Miles: 103 (Hundo club! Yay!)

Yoga Classes: 3 (I missed a week during spring break)

I had some highlights this month, including a 5-mile race with friends. It was my friend Candice's first race post-injury. It was billed as an obstacle course, which it wasn't. When we arrived no one was feeling it. It was a very cold, very windy day, and we'd be running on the beach of Lake Erie. So....cold wet sand? After a mile we all warmed up and it ended up being a lot of fun. No one was pushing the pace. We were just out to be out and get Candice back out there. We went to brunch after at a place I'd never been. Good food and loved the vibe of the place. 

Afterwards, Laurie went to Fleet Feet and bought three new pairs of shoes because we'd "run on dead fish" during the race. There's a chance she's more focused on clean shoes than I am.

With Candice back, it meant a return to running in the dark with her. I particularly like this post-run selfie. A beautiful sunrise and a goofy friend. That's a wonderful morning.

One Saturday we decided to meet at an intersection where we'd never met. I parked part-way between my house and the meet-up spot and ran to meet her. If there's one thing to know about Candice is that she loathes being late. Loathes it. So when our meet-up time came and went and no Candice, I knew something was up. I waited close to 10 minutes. I considered what might have happened, and just started running in the direction I thought was most likely where she'd ended up. We found each other, ran, and got breakfast at a drop-dead amazing bakery. I drank about 30oz of coffee and ate, then decided I should run back to my car. Don't do that. That's dumb. I did that.

Throughout March, I also continued running about once a week with my neighbor Jake. We've been running together since early last summer. It's been a great way to get to know him, and the accountability of a running buddy is always a good thing. I realized I'd never taken a picture of us.

My long run schedule got rearranged a few times for different reasons. The last day of March this meant running closer to home. I "picked up" Candice for the six middle miles of this run. I had to laugh when she said "what's two miles from your house" and I knew exactly. Only a runner would know down to 0.02 miles the distance to everything.

This run was also something of a wake-up call. I felt this run substantially more than most long runs. Why? Because my usual long run has about 75 total feet of elevation gain. Running closer to home means about 300 feet. Lesson: I need to vary my long runs more. Running on totally flat ground all the time is going to make a hilly race feel a lot harder.

And, we do stuff other than run. Since I realize this is hard to believe, here's a picture. We got together for a glass blowing class on night, then went out for dinner after. We made glass flowers. We got to choose our colors and even the shape of the stem, and the total length (shorter ones if they were ring holders). I would definitely do it again!

I also ran with my usual Sunday morning crew a few times. I enjoy them so much. For some reason this is the only picture I can find at the moment. I will have to correct that for April.

Wordless Whatever Day It Is

I know a lot of you do Wordless Wednesdays and this would be well suited to that. Well, my days are all basically one big blur at the moment so I'm gonna do a mostly-wordless-whatever-day-this-is! I have a 10-day old--I get to pretend it's whatever day I want! :)

Without further intro, a few pics from my maternity photo shoot from a few weeks ago. All photos were taken by Love & Life Photography.

Crazy things really pregnant women do

Or at least, I do.

#1: Wear my mother's muumuu from the early 1970s
This thing is so unreasonably comfortable, I don't even care that it's so hideous it's almost chic again.

Aside from the fact that it's giant pink and yellow roses on black polyester, this dress actually holds a lot of sentimental value for me--it's a long, complicated story and y'all might think I was crazy if I shared it anyway. And PS, I have no idea how my Mom ever wore this. She's 5-6 inches shorter than I am, and even 9 months pregnant, it's still floor length on me. And no, I did not wear this outside of my house. The horror!

#2: Buy a steamer vacuum

Our house is all hard wood floors, so as my neighbor said, "What in the world do you think you're going to steam clean?" We have area rugs! Including an ivory one in the living room that does not come clean enough with a standard vacuum. And I can use it in the foyer, steps, couches, etc. What? So maybe, yes, I had the carpets in our old house professionally cleaned right before The Kiddo was born. And yes, maybe I over-did by mopping a few weeks ago and hurt my back. And maybe at 9 months pregnant I purchased a steamer vac. 

#3: Seriously consider using a ladder and power tools

I haven't posted pictures of the nursery yet because the curtain isn't up yet (there are blinds, not to fear). Hanging it requires installing curtain hooks, which involves at least a step ladder and a drill. I mentioned my plans to do this today when a friend called to check up on the baby status and she swiftly informed me how great she is with power tools, that her afternoon tomorrow is wide open, and that I should sit the hell back down on the couch. I'm really bad at sitting still--we know this. But alas, I sat back down. No cause for alarm. Or a 437th text message from my Mom. 

As this post implies, my due date has come and gone and still we wait for Baby Brother. I have to admit that I'm getting a little impatient, but I know he will come soon enough. Thank you all SO much for your lovely comments of encouragement and well wishes! Maybe tomorrow?

Mondays in Love: A March Recap

I know, I'm wearing the Mondays in Love theme a little thin by claiming a March Recap. But truthfully, I'm so unbelievably happy to have a March recap, that I'm going to claim it as a legit LOVE post.

**Disclaimer** I am writing this on Sunday night and setting it to auto-post. At this point there is no update on Baby Brother. Stay tuned and if you're the praying sort, please keep me/us in your prayers for a safe and speedy birth!! I'm officially due on Tuesday. 

Miles ran/walked: 23 (although I didn't count all of my walking around the neighborhood--if it was less than a mile or so I didn't count it)

# workouts: 8

Favorite run: Undoubtedly my 3.1 mile run/walk on the 15th. It was my last pregnant run and I 100% enjoyed it! I love that I could run at 37 weeks pregnant. That seriously makes me so, so happy! 

Current obsession: I will give you one guess. When is this baby going to show up?!? We are ready! 

Pregnancy Update

# weeks: 39.5/40 (basically 9 months)

Weight gained: ~28 lb. 

How this has affected running, life, etc.: At this point the pregnancy has more or less affected everything about life. It has meant a halt to running and on most days even walking requires that I stop every now and then for a Braxton-Hicks (not real) contraction or other related aches and pains. It has meant that work has finally slowed down (I'm officially on leave beginning Tuesday or tomorrow if Baby Brother decides to come a day early). It has meant lunches with girlfriends celebrating the upcoming birth. 

It has meant savoring these last days before The Kiddo becomes a big brother, and making these days as fun for him as we can. This has meant extra Kiddo-Mommy baking time and trips to the Science Center and Zoo. That has been wonderful. 

I want to be honest about what this is like--the good and bad. It's uncomfortable, yes--I have heartburn. I'm crazy hormonal. I wake up at least 3x/night to pee. I have to sleep sort of propped up for the first part of the night to keep the heartburn in check. I have the land speed record of maple syrup. I'm eating like 85% carbs (at least that's what it seems like) because most of the time real food is not appetizing. Even my maternity pants are kinda uncomfortable, so I'm mostly just rotating between my 4 warm-ish weather maternity dresses and doing laundry more often. Yes, these things are true. 

But when the doctor asked if I wanted to be induced, the answer was "absolutely not." And not just because I don't want unnecessary meds, but because I am absolutely savoring this. There is no magic in the world like this. The wonder, the curiosity, and the absolutely surreal reality that our lives will so dramatically change so quickly, and so soon. It's not like anything else in the world. 

Mondays in Love: The Marathon

First, what you all want to know--I'm still pregnant. Not sure for how much longer though! Don't forget to enter last week's Baby Pool.

I know The Marathon sounds like a strange thing for someone 9 months pregnant to claim love for. In all honesty, I'm seeing all the spring time runners out and about and while they make me smile, I have a little jealousy, too. So why am I loving on the marathon so much right now? Because strangely, it has some parallels to late-stage pregnancy.

Today my friend Kayla and I hung out for a while. I love this girl. She's awesome and has been there for me so many times throughout this pregnancy.

Today she came to take a walk down to Panera with me. It's maybe 0.4-0.5 miles each way. While we were texting about getting together she said that if we got down there and I decided I couldn't walk back she could come home and get a car. This inspired me to wear my race tag necklace. I wear two tags--one with my marathon PR (Cleveland) and one with my half-marathon PR (Martian). I love these tags.

I told Kayla that I'd finished 3 marathons, so I could for sure make it home from Panera. She pointed out that I hadn't finished 3 marathons with a baby just a mere few inches from breathing outside air. True, true. But I get a lot of confidence and a lot of strength from knowing, knowing that no matter how uncomfortable I may be right now, walking half a mile is still nothing compared to facing those last 6 miles of a marathon once the wheels have fallen off. I love that I can know this with absolute certainty. Thank you, marathon.

My next Monday in Love might be a tribute to a new baby!! It could happen any day now. Stay tuned everyone!

Mondays in Love: I've never seen that before!

On Saturday I did my old 4-mile route, slowly running as much of it as I could/felt comfortable doing. It was so insanely gorgeous out that I added an extra lap around the block just to have an excuse to stay outside a little longer. As I was rounding that extra block, a car stopped at an intersection and the guy yelled out his window, "Now there's something I've never seen before! I'd put it on Facebook, but I don't want to violate you!" LOL! I wasn't sure what the proper response was. Thank you? A wave? Ignore him? It felt like the hugely pregnant version of getting cat called on a run.

What? What's so crazy about this?? Haven't you 

ever seen a woman running at 36 weeks pregnant? ;) 

Even aside from that guy though, this run was the first where I felt like people were just staring at me. Sometimes pretty openly. Can I get a maternity running top that says "My OB signed off on this" or maybe "This is still safer than sitting on the couch"?? I really don't want to be shamed out of a slow run if it's still enjoyable. I loved the run!!

Just so no one freaks out on me here, I am being cautious! My mile times are much slower than they were even 4-6 weeks ago (splits ranged from 11:22 to 12:27 for the miles I ran/walked) and if it's uncomfortable, I walk immediately. I carry water with me even for 2.2 mile walks and I often carry my phone. Nothing crazy going on here. As evidence, I tried to run on Friday morning and it was just uncomfortable, so I went for a walk instead. Some days it works, some days it just doesn't. It just depends on how Baby Brother is positioned on any given day.

From here on out I'll have OB appointments every week. I'm officially full term on Tuesday but not due until April 3.* As of my 36 week appointment, I was 1.5 cm dilated, which apparently is normal for someone at 36 weeks who has had a baby previously.** We're doing the last things around the house this week--getting close!! Nursery pics coming soon!!

* Just in case anyone is curious about all these weeks and how it works, here's a quick primer. A woman is considered 2 weeks pregnant at conception because weeks are counted starting at the beginning of the last period. So, while I say I'm 36 weeks pregnant, that means I've actually been with child for 34 (almost 35). A "normal" pregnancy ends at 40 weeks (actually pregnant for 38 weeks). A baby born before 37 weeks (35 weeks pregnant) is considered "pre-term" and a baby born after that is considered "full term." I think 42 or 43 weeks is considered post-term, but good luck getting a doctor to let you go that long without being induced. 
** Anything medically related here is specific to me and my pregnancy. Do not rely on me for medical advice!

Mondays in Love: Two-thirds

It seems like it's been far more than a week since last Monday. Is that just me? Ok, so this Mondays in Love is all about the fraction two-thirds. Two-thirds of it is about running, and two-thirds of it is about things I actually loved.

#1: Running and Thing I Loved
Friday morning I greeted the day with the best run I've had in weeks. It was sunny and crisp at about 30 degrees. The miles clipped by at what now seems fast: 10:11, 10:33, 10:18, and a slower cool-down mile. After a pretty stressful week, it was just what I needed. That feeling of being free. That feeling of smiling because I felt so free. The beautiful morning. love the run. It was perfect.

#2: Thing I Loved and Not Running
Donuts. Specifically, heart-shaped homemade baked donuts, made with the kiddo. I impulse purchased a donut pan a few weeks ago and it had been crying about its neglect ever since. It came with a recipe on the back that was easy to make and tastes yummy.

#3: Running and Thing I Did Not Love
You've almost certainly heard of the tendency for enormously pregnant women to nest. Well, I'm there. I've taken to washing practically everything that isn't nailed down, and feel the need to get out the baby clothes, wash them and get everything organized. Some of this I've made myself wait to do, but a lot of it I've started. Well, yesterday morning it seemed like a great idea to mop the first floor of my house. WRONG. Yes, my floors are gloriously clean. But my back has also been killing me since then. It hurts to walk across the house, which meant my planned afternoon run/walk was promptly cancelled. Boo!! Here's to hoping I'm back up and running--literally--within a few days!

Second Tri[mester] Wrap-Up

We're there, folks--the third trimester has arrived! I so enjoyed writing my first tri{mester} wrap-up post, I decided to do it again after the second. Above all, I'm incredibly thankful that I am still running. But, running is not what it used to be!

On Miles 

My mileage consistency has been so-so. Excuses Scheduling conflicts included below. Don't get me wrong here--the mileage is not blowing any one's hair back. Most "normal" weeks I've been around 12ish miles per week, and I've been fine with that. I've been particularly pleased by my gradual re-building after the early December stair incident.

Otherwise, my mileage has still been influenced some by nausea. Incredible, I know. But up until just maybe 2-3 weeks ago I was still having awful nausea some days. That's a solid 10-12 weeks later than I should have been having nausea. I could eat, but felt less than great and ended up drinking Cherry Coke a lot of days to try to settle my stomach. Honestly, it may have partly been stress. Whatever it was, I think it's finally behind me. 

On Pace

In my memory, my pace started to slow down in the middle of this past trimester. But, according to the ever-handy training log, not so much. Until about a month ago my pace was anywhere from 0-30 seconds per mile slower than normal. And what happened a month ago? That's right, the stair incident. So, maybe it's possible that my Saturday "long" run is just getting back to pace rather than being a mirage. 

The 0-30 second slow-down isn't new to the second trimester, but it's been more consistent. In the first trimester it was about keeping my heart rate in check. This past trimester, it's been more about shortness of breath and knowing that if I push too hard I put too much pressure on my tailbone.

More recently, I've had a few days where I just feel like a large moving object and for a few days I had shin splints. Shin splints?!? Seriously?? Where did that come from? I'm 100% ok with the slower moving days. Even though a slow pace still feels like all I've got, I'm still thrilled to be out doing it.  

On Perception

I laugh every time I give someone the runner nod only to realize that they didn't see it because they were looking about 2 feet lower. Ha! But overall, I have to say, I get stared at a LOT less than I did when I was a pregnant running lady 4 years ago. Even my mother has stopped harassing me about it. And like I said on Monday, occasionally I even get some encouragement from strangers. Mostly people are really supportive.  

On Logistics

I know, I know. Y'all know how much I've loved my maternity running tops. But a few other things have significantly improved my second trimester running. First, my Nathan Handheld. I haven't had to worry about whether the water fountains in my park will work on colder mornings, or when they will winterize the park. Also, I've noticed that I've had fewer headaches since I've been running with water rather than stopping every now and then when it was available.

I have no idea how running is going to change over the next couple of months. Some days are easier than others. I stopped running at 7 months with my first pregnancy, and hope to run longer than that this time around. Fingers crossed!

Mondays in Love: 9:19!?!

....and, we're back on schedule. And I have a few posts planned, so things won't be quite so quiet around here. Game on!!

This Monday, I'm loving so much. Let me break it down.

1. My Saturday "long" run. It was glorious weather. I felt great. And I ran faster than I knew I was still capable of without feeling like I was pushing myself much. The first 4 miles of this 5-miler were 9:48, 9:30, 9:53, and 9:19. Nine-nineteen?!? Get outta here! I had no idea that was in me! The last mile was part running, part walking a cool-down. 
2. Oh yeah. I totally park here now. 

3. A woman in the park the other day who yelled, "You go! That's great!!" as she passed me going the opposite direction. 
4. Getting close to my giant work deadline. It's Friday, and the project is coming together nicely. 
5. Fruit jambalaya. I am crazy with the freaking fruit these days. Fruit on my cereal. Fruit on my greek yogurt. Fruit as snack food. Fruit in my salads. Now fruit for dinner. I seriously cannot get enough. FRUIT! 

That's what I've got this Monday. Run strong ladies and gentlemen. And runners too. :) 

Mondays in Love: Getting Ridiculous

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. This is my third week in a row of posting my Mondays in Love on Tuesday. First it was being wildly overwhelmed. Then it was the holiday. And last night I was working until bedtime, after staying home with the kiddo all day because his school was closed. Like I said, ridiculous. Things should be back to normal next week! Sorry guys!

**Back to your regularly scheduled programming**

Today, I'm loving two things.
1. Today is my parents' 42nd wedding anniversary
I love this. So much. And they are adorable in their very own, quirky way.

Yes, I definitely have more composed pictures of them. But really, this is who they are, and I love them. This was taken in 2006 when our family (Mr. Joanna and me, his Mom and my parents) spent Thanksgiving break in Biloxi doing Katrina clean-up work. This is my Mom vacuuming drywall dust off my Dad while he eats a banana. I love this. 

2. The way my December 2011 running wrapped up

Rather than a monthly review, I did the year end post. But I'm really thankful for how December shaped up, too. The low-light of my month was the 9th when I started my day by falling down our stairs. I laid off of running for a few days to let my tailbone and side heal. Over the following weeks I slowly lowered the pace until I was back to about a 10:15 pace, and on New Years Eve I put in 5.4 miles. I am thrilled about this. I'm 6 months pregnant. Being able to cover that distance at all at this point is a huge joy. But being able to do it just a few weeks after a bad fall was even sweeter. By this point in my first pregnancy, running was not really comfortable. I am SO thankful that it's still relatively easy!! I'm in love with the fact that I can still say this:

Mondays...Tuesdays on Notice: Overwhelmed

It's Tuesday. I know. It's not that I forgot yesterday, or that I absolutely couldn't have found the time to post this. I'm just gonna lay it out there for you: it was that I am completely overwhelmed in virtually all arenas of life and struggled with what to say. I need to ask for a little grace around here. When in doubt, I'll stick to running! That is, after, what this blog's about.

On Running: I went out Sunday afternoon to get in a weekend run. I think I totally made some dude's day when he passed me, looked over (I get looked at a lot these days when I run!), and I said, "Some day I'll be fast again!" He just laughed like, is she for real?? He was probably about 50 and was only running a 9:30-9:40 pace. Needless to say, my run was not my fastest, which was fine. But what wasn't cool--my tailbone did NOT respond well. It felt ok during the run but hurt afterwards. So, back to run/walk for me for a few more days.

On all other things: I am completely overwhelmed. I have a huge work deadline looming in mid-January and a whole series of smaller (but mandatory) deadlines on separate projects between now and then. And beyond those deadlines, work has been bat shit crazy (and stressful) with some non-project things. On the home front: our house is not ready for Christmas. Cleaning up for this has meant getting everything ready to move out of my office into the guest room so we can turn my office into a nursery. We're not there yet. Christmas itself is complicated by family stuff that I don't understand.

There is some beauty in this mess though. Some of my time recently has been absorbed in finishing not 1, not 2, but three Christmas stockings. They are all different color combos, but generally along these lines:

My little boy makes us smile every.single.day. Here's a glimpse of life with a three-year-old:

And just this past weekend we got to celebrate the marriage of our friends Chris and Kayla. Their wedding was beautiful and the reception was absolutely the most fun I've ever had at a wedding reception. Uhhuh. I brought my own ball. :) And bowled in a floor-length gown (thank you, Kdot!!). 

That's what I've got, peeps. Needless to say, I am waaaaaay behind on reading blogs. There is no break in sight, but I will keep chipping away at the Reader list as I can. I promise! 

Milestones and bellies and shirts, oh my!

This morning I went on my first post-fall run. I went with my neighbor and we took it slow just to make sure nothing hurt. I'm happy to report that I think running is back on! In other news:

1. Another milestone: This morning I officially crossed 800 miles for the year! I'm beyond thrilled about this and can't wait to see where I end up by the end of the year. 
2. It's time for another picture in the great Belly Watch 2011-2012. 24 weeks, baby! I had an OB appointment today and got to hear the heartbeat again. I cannot wait to meet this little boy!

3. The picture serves two purposes today--it's also the blog debut of my maternity running shirt (available here). I absolutely love this shirt and would recommend it. I love that it has thumb holes (and, therefore, sufficiently long sleeves). It's technical fabric. It's easily long enough. And I love the color. I am super impressed at the quality of the shirt, and so thankful that it's available, where nothing like this was made during my first pregnancy. I would recommend that you buy up a size, though. I would normally buy a medium, but because so many maternity shirts (from all brands, seemingly) tend to get short in the third trimester, I decided to give myself some extra space. All over, I think the size larger was a good call. 

The Weekend Update

This just in:

1. My Mondays....on Notice? post is officially going down as the most controversial thing I've ever posted, which surprised me. In response to a reader inquiry on the etiquette of 26.2 stickers, y'all covered the gamut of possible responses. One felt put off that the runner community might snicker at the sticker rather than celebrate the accomplishment. A few were indignant about questionable 26.2 claims. The majority were in the middle though, feeling like it was a bit questionable, but it didn't detract from your accomplishments, so let it be. I think this is a pretty reasoned response. 
2. My maternity running top (that I scored a great Cyber Monday deal on--cha-ching!) came. I was super skeptical when I took it out of the package. I was sure they'd sent me a regular top. I should never have doubted. It's wonderful! Also, my new Nathan Handheld came and I got to try it out. Pictures and reviews to come. 
3. Said review was to come over the weekend, but...that may have to wait. Today started with me falling down basically an entire flight of steps in our house, then spending the next ~3 hours in the pregnant women's version of an ER getting checked out (by doctor's orders). I am fine and the baby is fine, thank goodness (seriously, God is good). But my tailbone does hurt quite a bit and pregnant running already puts more pressure than normal on that spot. So I think I need to let it heal for a few days before I get back outside. On the plus side, my hubby met me for lunch afterward and brought me a donut to cheer me up. Because he's wonderful. 

Mondays in Love: It's a.....

Healthy, growing baby!

Yes, as of this morning we know the gender. But you're going to have to wait until after Thanksgiving to find out. :) We are going to tell our families first. I hope you understand. For now all I can tell you is that everything is looking healthy and normal. We are so blessed!

In the meantime, let's see if y'all have reliable instincts on these matters. What variety of baby do you think I'm expecting??

Mondays on Notice: Iron Deficiency

I have struggled from time to time in my adult life with brief periods of iron deficiency. Only once before can I remember it really being a problem. In the summer of 2009 for a while I was bruising like an over-ripe peach, the palms of my hands hurt all the time, and my muscles felt weak. With some focus on my diet, it passed.

Iron deficiency during pregnancy is common, particularly in the second and third trimesters (I'm currently second trimester). You can read all about it here if you're curious. I didn't realize until I traveled how closely I was walking the line on keeping my nutrition in check.

Two days ago while in Florida I noticed an odd bruise on my leg. Then Saturday I saw a similar one on my left arm. Suspicious. Then yesterday my legs felt like they had no strength in them at all. With a few other symptoms happening too, I'm pretty sure the signs add up to borderline iron deficiency. The second night I was in FL I woke up in the night with foot & leg cramps (low on potassium?). It only took 2 days of being away from bananas and iron-rich breakfast cereals for this to happen. Crazy.

The plan was to do about 6 miles yesterday. But I knew almost as soon as I woke up that I needed to take a break. So, I'm taking a break. RW says that all runners, regardless of consistent running volume, need to take a break every now and then. So, this is mine. This past week was very low mileage, and I'll continue to take it easy until I can bring my diet and symptoms into balance. I'm mainlining spinach, Mini-Wheats and bananas to get back in check. Wish me luck!

Only a runner

Pregnant woman tend to remember more of their dreams and have more vivid dreams than the rest of the population. I knew this was true for me, but didn't realize how common it was until I got an article from babycenter.com. You can read all about it here (and probably learn more than you want to know about the approximate size and composition of buns in the oven at 17 weeks). The short version goes, we wake up to pee frequently, thus interrupting REM sleep and allowing us to remember more of our dreams.

The other night I had a dream where I had amnesia (true story: I just had to ask my husband what the word is for when you can't remember anything). In this dream, I could not for the life of me remember who I was. It wasn't like it was on the tip of my tongue and I just couldn't spit it out, it was like the information genuinely was not stored in my brain any more. In the dream, I solved this problem by happening upon a picture of me taken during a race, then used the bib number in the picture to look up the race results and figure out what my name was. 

The weirdest part? The Redhead was helping me look up the bib number. We've met in real life on multiple occasions. Had this been real, she could have just told me who I was. But I think we've established that this is the ludicrous production of a pregnant runner's brain. 

No one other than a runner would have this dream. Ever. This makes me cherish it. And laugh at myself. Do you ever have crazy runner dreams? What's the craziest of them?

Mondays in Love: Rocktober

Ok ok, yes, I kind of hate mashed up words. Teddy bears that say "I love you beary much" make me throw up in my mouth a little. But seriously, October rocked. I said it weeks ago--I love all things about October + Running. This year did not disappoint.

First I caught you up on the ins & outs of first trimester running

Then I salivated over spectated from afar the Chicago and Detroit Marathons and thought back with love on spectating Chicago '07.

Then I celebrated my 300th blog post with a giveaway and met a handful of you through that (signs are finished and will be in tomorrow's mail!). Then I volunteered at Rock & Roll St. Louis and had a blast. 

Then last week I surpassed my 2010 total mileage. And after all that, there was still some awesome October running to go. FIRST, last Friday I had my fastest run since I found out I was pregnant (4.03 miles at 9:18/mile, if you must know--not any Earth-shattering record, but I'll take it as a "pregnant pace run"!). SECOND, last week I had my highest mileage week since, unbelievably, the Cleveland Marathon (seriously, I triple checked the training log). THIRD, with today's run, October became my highest mileage month since May. Crazy, huh?

And today is Halloween! Which means I get to go Trick or Treating with my little boy, who will be the awesomest Batman you've ever seen. I'm honestly not sure which of us is more excited about it. 

I love October running. I'm sad to see it go, but looking forward to seeing what kind of mileage I can post before the end of the year and what hijinks y'all are going to get into!

Irresponsible or Inspiring?

It's been a huge relief letting people at work know about my impending bundle of joy. My colleagues are ready with wonderful comments about hoping I feel ok,complimenting my maternity clothes (which I'm starting to wear more often), letting it slide when I eat fro-yo for lunch, and not pointing and laughing when I show up in whatever it was that seemed reasonable that morning. 

However, letting people in on my secret has also meant opening the door to the social norms held for pregnant women. Of course, this has been huge in the news this week, after a woman completed the Chicago Marathon in 6:25:50 and gave birth 7 hours later to a healthy baby (in case you somehow haven't seen this, read it here). The response to her decision hash been all over the board, some calling the decision irresponsible and others calling it an inspiration. 

Considering that very pregnant woman clearly do finish endurance events and continue to have healthy babies made me hopeful that my much more constrained running wouldn't be shocking to people. I'm not planning to "race" anything over a 10k while pregnant, after all. And yet, what I'm getting is a lot of surprised responses when people discover that yes, in fact, I am still running. 

I didn't realize how culturally rooted our perception of reasonable pregnant behavior was until I was enceinte with my son. At the time I worked in a very culturally diverse setting. One of my office mates was amazed that I continued to use my cell phone while pregnant. Others were horrified that in the United States a normal, natural birth (even one with drugs) merits only a 2-day hospital stay, and a c-section 4 days. In some countries you stay for a week or longer for a natural birth, and stay in bed for 2 weeks or longer. 

Within the running community not one of you has given me a raised eyebrow. Neither has my doctor. Or anyone on board with the idea that I was a healthy runner before I was pregnant, and it's healthy for me to continue. But a lot of other people have given me flack about it. So last Thursday when I read Jodi's Thumbs Up Thursday tribute to the Marathon and saw this, I knew I had to put it on my office door. Not surprisingly, I've gotten a lot of comments about it already. 

There will come a day sometime next spring where I will have to take a break from running. But today is not that day. Today is a day to stay fit and sane for myself and my unborn child. And represent just a lil' bit in the hopes that it will encourage others and maybe change some perceptions. 

Mondays in Love: Chicago Marathon Weekend

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love everything about October + Running. I love it all, and Chicago Marathon Weekend is no exception. Over 40,000 participants and an estimated 100,000 spectators, it is something to behold. It also holds a special place in my heart. <3

I started endurance running with Team in Training in the spring of 2007. Our group was almost entirely training for either the Chicago Distance Classic (now Rock & Roll) or the Chicago Marathon. Meg and I did the CDC and planned to go back to Chicago to cheer for our teammates running the 26.2. When the weekend rolled around,Meg, Mr. Joanna and I headed north prepared with our glittery signs and ready to cheer our hearts out.

We went up on Saturday. Meg spent the day with her best friend (who happens to live there) and Mr. Joanna and I spent the day seeing the city. It was an incredibly sweet time for me, because we had the most wonderful secret in the world: I was pregnant with my son. I so happily spent the day wandering through crowds seeing the Field Museum, taking a ferry boat ride, visiting the Navy Pier, and eating yummy food, knowing that no one around us knew. Something about being in a city and a weekend away made that feeling memorable. 

 Of course, race day 2007 turned out to be a huge moment in American running, for being cancelled part way through for heat. I actually saw the "race canceled" signs. I'd been sitting in the shade sweating as we spectated, and had seen the fire trucks spraying water on runners, but still did not really understand the severity of the situation until later, when I heard it from my Teammates and read about it in Runners World.

We saw all our Teammates and one of our coaches, and all our people made it safely through the day.

This year, being pregnant again and spectating (albeit from a distance), I couldn't help but reminisce on Chicago 2007. I can't wait to read the race recaps from my bloggy peeps who were there this weekend!

Did you mean pregnant chicken?

Since I couldn't tell you I was running with a baby on board for almost my entire first trimester, I decided to do a My First Tri{mester} wrap-up post to bring you up to speed on what pregnant running has been like. Mostly it's been lovely. But life has changed, some days more dramatically than others.

On the Reduction in Miles
My bloggy friend Jess said she was suspicious because I'd been blogging less about actual running, and she was onto something. The biggest change has been my reduction in miles, and that's been caused by a handful of things.

1. Inability to eat
Like my first pregnancy, I lost weight through the first trimester. When I'm not consuming enough calories to sustain my own body it's not only hard but probably just not smart to burn another 500 or 600 calories by running. And when I have eaten, it's been a lot of weird crap. About two weeks ago I texted my neighbor at 10:15pm on a Friday to go get fried chicken with me. And Mr. Joanna totally caught me doing this.

Yes, I've owned that shirt since 1994. No, I do not wear it outside my house.Yes, that's ice cream. Hey, at least I was putting in a bowl before eating it. 

2. On the other hand
Inexplicably, running seemed to be the only thing that settled my stomach and allowed me to eat. After a morning run, I had about a 20 minute window where I could eat half a bowl of cereal, and the benefits seemed to go throughout the day. Yay running! So there was really a balancing act. But not of this variety.

3. Fatigue
Even this past weekend I fell asleep at 9:15 on Saturday night. I've fallen asleep while upright, working at my desk (ok, this only happened once, but still!). Fatigue has made it especially difficult to get up mornings before work to get that run in.

4. Distance
If you try to do your own web-MDing, you'll quickly find all sort of guidelines about what pregnant women should do. As I've said though, thankfully my doctor has cleared me for longer runs, and I am off and going!*

On the Logistics
1. Clothes
Right. So, I thought it was all so-far-so-good on this front, until I got home from my Monday morning run and realized that my pants had moved to the bottom of my bump leaving less than half an inch between the bottom of my shirt and the top of my pants when I was standing still. THANK GOODNESS for maternity running shirts. This is a huge blessing and recent revolution in running.

2. Hydration
Hydration is essential these days. This has meant drinking up before I head out and stopping about every mile for water along the way. Mr. Joanna is considering installing a revolving door on the bathroom for me, so I think I'm doing just fine on the hydration front.

contemporary bathroom design by san francisco interior designer Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc.

(btw, seriously??)

3. Pace
My pace has been a bit slower than usual. Largely this was an effort to keep my heart rate down, and sometimes some pregnancy-related aches and pains and every now and then some very heavy legs. Pace seems to be getting easier as I move into the second trimester. I'm not gonna lie--it's a blast to chick people while pregnant. BTW, if you Google Image search "pregnant chicking" you'll find some super bizarre crap ("did you mean pregnant chicken?"). The, um, most creative of which has to be this. You've been warned.

Do you have questions I haven't covered? Anything you're just dying to know? 

* again, do NOT take this blog as medical advice. What I can do is specific to my personal medical history and fitness.